However, there may be some signs of a slow-down, given that the previous weekend saw the figure rise to a near-record 1,451!

Nonetheless, maritime rescue staff and the temporary detention centres in Andalucía were kept busy as another 215 Africans were picked up on Sunday in the Strait of Gibraltar and the Alboran Sea, following a total of 406 on Saturday. It is reported that eight required treatment for hypothermia after being spotted on a small inflatable dinghy.

The issue of immigration of this kind is becoming an increasingly controversial one in Spain, all the more so on account of the soaring figures of the last couple of months. This year almost 23,000 people have entered Spain illegally by sea so far, according to government statistics, the vast majority via the western Mediterranean route, as opposed to under at the same point in 2017.

In 2018 the figure for all unauthorized immigrants including those crossing into the north African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla overland had thus reached over 26,000 by the end of July, well over double the total at the same point of last year, and the number of people taken to immigrant detention centres is already higher than in any year since records were first kept in 1997 except 2006.

As an example, the coordination centre in Tarifa in the province of Cádiz dealt with 8,849 migrants during June and July, as opposed to only 1,701 in the same months last year.

It is important to point out once again that while the policy in this country is to send back all of those who are intercepted attempting to enter the country without authorization, it is not always possible. This is because in order to repatriate individuals it is necessary to establish firmly their identities and where they came from, and in many cases the immigrants are without paperwork, illiterate and reluctant to give any relevant information.

In addition, the law related to those aged under 18 – who account for a sizeable proportion of those on board the tiny boats – is more lenient, and they are often allowed to stay in this country.